NY Mets 4, San Diego 3  —  NEW YORK (AP) — Mike Piazza hit the ball so well, he turned the cheers to boos.  He almost turned the game in the San Diego Padres' favor, too.  —  Piazza hit two more home runs off Pedro Martinez, receiving a rare curtain call on the road after the first shot …

White Sox rally falls short  —  The White Sox received no firm reward for spoiling Randy Johnson's no-hit bid Wednesday night and coming within 90 feet of wiping out all of a seven-run deficit.  —  But despite a furious comeback, the Sox fell into third place in the American League Central …

Cubs, Zambrano lose; Baker mulls his future  —  MILWAUKEE — No matter what he does or says, Dusty Baker can't seem to dodge speculation about his future.  —  But before the Cubs' 6-3 loss to Milwaukee on Wednesday night, Baker hinted for the first time that even if he's asked to return, he's not sure he would say yes.

Firing Buck or Jon won't solve problem  —  For those angry enough to still care, your disgust with the Rangers is coming in loud and loaded.  —  Stop the media coddling of Buck Showalter, you demand.  —  This man must be fired.  Now.  And if not now, October for sure.  —  Four years of nothing is enough.

Calling for reinforcements  —  Struggles prompt a team meeting  —  KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Red Sox conducted a closed-door meeting prior to last night's game, described by one uniformed member as ``reinforcement" the team can turn around its fortunes.  —  It didn't help: The Sox lost …

Ex-Peabody star Allison suffers heroin overdose  —  The sad saga of former Peabody High ace and Florida Marlins pitching prospect Jeff Allison , whose once-promising baseball career has been derailed by drug problems, took another disappointing turn Monday when, according to a Medford Police report, he suffered a heroin overdose.

Floyd Put on D.L.; Tucker Is Recalled  —  The Mets placed Cliff Floyd on the 15-day disabled list yesterday with tendinitis in his left Achilles' tendon, and purchased the contract of outfielder Michael Tucker from Class AAA Norfolk.  —  Floyd did not start in left field against the San Diego Padres …

Guillen Says He'll Be Back By the Spring  —  Washington Nationals outfielder Jose Guillen, who is recovering from recent elbow surgery, vows to be healthy by 2007 spring training despite the severity of his injury.  —  "I'll be hitting in three months," a smiling Guillen said before last night's game.

No relief as Sox collapse in 9th  —  KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Remember when Red Sox Nation was ready to panic in the streets?  It was premature.  But maybe now . . .  When you can no longer rely on Jonathan Papelbon to close out a one-run game; when you can no longer depend on Manny Ramírez …

The Shifting Swings of A-Rod and Andruw: Part 1  —  It might be different in New York, but from here in Atlanta, it seems as though the media criticism of Alex Rodriguez has tapered off.  Apparently, all is well now that the Yankees have returned to their rightful position at the top of the AL East.

Calling his bluff  —  Met loves poker, sez source, as Paul's mum on teen tryst  —  Mets catcher Paul Lo Duca's public declaration that he only bets on horses was torpedoed yesterday by a source who recounted the slugger's part in high-stakes poker games and trips to Atlantic City.

Freeze This Moment  —  So.  Eighth inning.  Two on.  One out.  Aaron Heilman on the hill.  Here comes Mike Piazza, 800 feet of home runs hastily appended to his resume, only this time we're not talking about some cosmetic solo shot.  He's the go-ahead run.

Pirates Notebook: Duffy upbeat despite drop to No. 8  —  By Dejan Kovacevic, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette  —  HOUSTON — There are two ways, it would seem, that Chris Duffy can go from here:  —  1. All those sharply hit balls will start finding some holes.  —  2. He will dig another deep hole for himself.

You make the call  —  Is it good baseball strategy or a weak attempt to win?  —  This actually happened.  Your job is to decide whether it should have.  —  In a nine- and 10-year-old PONY league championship game in Bountiful, Utah, the Yankees lead the Red Sox by one run.

Garcia bracing for Chicago exit  —  In other circumstances, he would wear the nickname ''Big Game'' like a badge of honor.  —  The problem is White Sox pitcher Freddy Garcia knows his nickname also has a stigma attached to it that inevitably will lead to his being traded this offseason.